The present invention relates to a sun visor having an illuminated film for illuminating a vanity mirror. In particular, this invention relates to a sun visor having an illuminating film for providing a thin profile sun visor.
In a typical up scale vehicle, the sun visor is provided with a vanity mirror which has a light source for illuminating the mirror for use. Typically, the light will be responsive to the opening of a mirror cover. The light source for prior art sun visors has been incandescent light bulbs. As a result, sun visors must have a thickness sufficient to mount the bulb behind a suitable lens.
The prior art sun visor has provided years of satisfactory service. However, current automobile design trends are dictating lighter weight parts with lower energy consumption. Thus, there exists a need for eliminating incandescent lighting from sun visors.
The disadvantages of the prior art may be overcome by providing a sun visor assembly having an electroluminescent film for illuminating the sun visor.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a sun visor assembly for an automotive vehicle which has a sun visor panel and at least one lighting element flush mounted on the sun visor panel. The lighting element is an electroluminescent film electrically connected to a triggering device for energizing the electroluminescent film illuminating the sun visor panel.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a combination comprising a sun visor and an illuminated film. The illuminated film has an electroluminescent layer which is mounted within a carrier film and enclosed by a transparent protective layer.